At the top of an abandoned water supply tower, Senju Chen stood quietly on the edge. Under his feet was a labyrinth of intricate pipelines and uneven buildings. The whole picture of Amegakure was like a creeping steel beast, all in sight.
A figure, like a ghost blending into the shadows, appeared silently behind him.
"Little Chen."
Hatake Sakumo's voice was as calm as ever, but it was mixed with a trace of complex emotions that even he himself was unaware of.
"Uncle Sakumo." Senju Chen didn't look back. "Iwagakure, have all those flies been cleaned up?"
"Well, your little one is more useful than the whole Assassination Squad." Hatake Sakumo walked to his side and followed his gaze, "Ōnoki is too busy to take care of himself now, The daimyo and ninjas within Land of Earth who had been suppressed by him for a long time were in a serious commotion because of Five-Tails Jinchuriki being captured and the fires all over the place. He has already mobilized all the power lurking in Land of Rain back."
"The old man is just dormant." Senju Chen said softly, "He is waiting, waiting for us Konoha and Sunagakure to fight to the death in Kikyo Mountain, both sides will suffer. By then, Iwagakure will definitely take action."
Hatake Sakumo's eyes flashed.
He found it increasingly difficult to associate the figure of the boy in front of him with the child who often came to his home when he was Konoha and would smile happily because he ate sweets.
"The disappearance of Third Kazekage is the beginning of all this." Hatake Sakumo said in a deep voice, "Sunagakure has lost its strongest deterrent, like a tiger with its teeth pulled out, angry and panicked. They are eager to regain their face and interests in the war with us, which is exactly what Ōnoki wants."
"It's not just Ōnoki." The corner of Senju Chen's mouth evoked a cold arc that was inconsistent with his age, "Kirigakure in the east and Kumogakure in the north, which one is not a hungry wolf watching covetously? The current Shinobi World is like a The chess game has been set, Sunagakure and Konoha are the first chess pieces to fight, Iwagakure is the fisherman who reaps the profits, and Kumogakure and Kirigakure are the hyenas lurking in the grass, ready to pounce out and eat the corpses at any time."
Hatake Sakumo was silent.
He understood these overall views. But coming from an eight-year-old child in such a calm and even cold tone still made him feel ridiculous.
"To be honest, Little Chen, when I received the information that you captured Five-Tails Jinchuriki alive, I confirmed it three times. I thought it was someone from Intelligence Division who drank too much and wrote it wrong, hahaha." Hatake Sakumo's tone was filled with unabashed exclamation and shock.
"That kind of thing... is beyond the scope of common sense. I don't even know how to report it to the superiors so that the senior officials at Konoha can believe that this is not a fantasy."
"Uncle Sakumo is overly praised." Senju Chen finally turned around, showing a bit of shyness that a young man should have, "That was just a fluke. It was Mr. Teacher Orochimaru, Hanzō and a large number of companions who held each other back, and my contribution was insignificant."
His humble remarks sounded reasonable and reasonable.
"Don't lie to uncle, any information about Land of Rain was gathered to me first. You are really famous this time, hahaha..."
Hatake Sakumo laughed loudly and looked at Senju Chen. He knew that the young man in front of him had grown to a height that he needed to look up to. Looking at him with the eyes of a senior would be a kind of disrespect in itself.
"By the way, Uncle Sakumo." Senju Chen seemed to have remembered something, changed the topic just right, and the expression on his face became relaxed.
"How are the 'fellow disciples' I asked you to look after last time? How are they doing recently?"
Hatake Sakumo heard Senju Chen ask about several disciples of Lord Jiraiya, and his expressions showed caution.
"They are developing very fast, the concept of "Xiao" is attracting more and more people, and their reputation is getting higher and higher among Land of Rain people."
"But just as you expected before, they also aroused Hanzo of the Salamander's vigilance. Recently, they have been attacked by the unidentified Rain Ninja several times. Although I have secretly resolved them, it is not the answer in the long run, especially now that Iwagakure has withdrawn, giving Hanzo of the Salamander more time to clean up Land of Rain's internal problems."
"Yahiko has a great ideal, but he is too impatient and too naive. He thinks that as long as he is sincere enough, he can influence everyone, including Hanzo of the Salamander." Hatake Sakumo frowned slightly
Of course he knew the stories of these three people. A leader with innocent ideals and a desire to bring peace through dialogue and understanding; a puppet with the eyes of God, but fell into the abyss of hatred due to the death of his best friend; a guardian who regarded his companions as everything and eventually turned into withered paper flowers.
Their tragedy is a microcosm of this twisted ninja world.
But Nagato's pair of Rinnegan is the artifact left behind by Sage of Six Paths, and it is the ultimate power that can subvert the world structure. Such a nuclear bomb is simply a waste of natural resources in the hands of a "Madonna" who has a sensitive heart and is easily swayed by pain and hatred.
Madara Uchiha's conspiracy, Black Zetsu's thousand-year layout... the root of all this lies in Nagato's too "soft" heart.
In this case, instead of letting Madara Uchiha hiding underground and lingering in the gutter and Black Zetsu hiding in the gutter be the "mentors", it would be better... to do it yourself.
A tool that destroys the world for the sake of nothingness "Eye of the Moon Plan" and a "comrade" who works for common interests and goals are of different value.
Senju Chen's goal is very clear: before Obito induces them, he must first plant his own seed in the hearts of these young people.
What he wants is not a Pain who is driven by hatred and only screams "feel the pain".
But what if it is a "comrade" who agrees with his own philosophy and is willing to wave Shinra Tensei for a more "greater" goal?
Isn't the purpose of our ancestors to unite all "comrades" who can be united, and then make more friends and fewer enemies?
What Senju Chen wants is a good comrade who can understand instructions, agree with his ideas, and who can give him "billions of Explosive Tag" and "Chibaku Tensei" without hesitation when needed.
"Uncle Sakumo, last time I came to Land of Rain, I was in a hurry and couldn't meet them. It's really a pity."
"After all, they are disciples of Lord Jiraiya. Speaking of which, they can be regarded as my "fellow disciples". I want... to meet them."
"Furthermore, I have always been curious about what kind of outstanding person Lord Jiraiya can be accepted as a disciple."
"Okay." Hatake Sakumo nodded heavily.
The efficiency of Hatake Sakumo's intelligence network is astonishing. In just half a day, the general scope of activities of Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were locked in an abandoned town located on the border of Land of Rain.
It used to be the front line of the war, but now only the ruins of the walls and the rusty steel skeleton eroded by the rain are left. It is a corner forgotten by the world.
Senju Chen's gaze penetrated the heavy rain curtain and turned towards the direction of the "Akatsuki" organization base.
'Yahiko, Konan, and...Nagato.'
'I'm here to make friends.'